Temptations of the Night
by cherrygurl1225
Summary: Someone from her dreams has come back to haunt her. And now he’s come to Trinity to seek his revenge… Oneshot. LucasGail


**American Gothic: Temptations of the Night**

**Written by Cherrygurl1225**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the AG characters even though I wish I owned Lucas & Gail. cue evil laughter here

**Summary: **Someone from her dreams has come back to haunt her. And now he's come to Trinity to seek his revenge… One-shot. Lucas/Gail

**Author's Note:** This is my second AG fanfic. I've finally had a chance to see all of the episodes and I'm a proud owner of the DVDs as well. I was intrigued when Gail mentioned something about a false pregnancy in "Triangle," so I thought I'd play around with that idea a bit. I really wasn't sure about this idea, but I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm still really trying to get a feel for the Lucas/Gail relationship, so please bear with me! Thankies and happy reading!

She could hardly breathe. There was little space to move as the dark shadow came closer and closer. She felt her heart beating ferociously inside her chest; her arms were against the wall and the sweat on the palms of her hands made it easy for them to slip, barely making contact with the wall's rough surface.

"You can't run from me anymore, Gail. You know that." The deep, mysterious voice drifted closer. In a matter of seconds, she felt his coarse skin brush against her blouse. "That's what I love about women like you. Easy prey." And with that, she heard something rip and felt an unwelcoming roughness against her neck…

"NOOOO!" Gail Emory shot up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. _Why do I keep having dreams like this? What's wrong with me?_

In only a few minutes, the pounding of her heart had subsided and she was able to breathe easily once more. As she calmed down, a slight wind blew through the tiny crack of the barely opened window in her room. The tiny gust of wind caused her to shiver a little bit and it was then when she felt an eerily dark presence. She knew wasn't alone.

"You okay there, Miss Emory?" the dark whisper sifted through the air and caused an involuntary chill to run up her spine.

"Since when do you care?" Gail retorted. She hated when he always snuck in like this. Why did he always think she needed him?

"I care about a lot of things," Lucas Buck replied.

"_Don't_," Gail said firmly, knowing full well what he meant.

"Don't what?" he asked her. "Don't care about you?" He chuckled. "It's a little too late for that, wouldn't you say?"

"It's never too late for you _not _to care," she spat angrily.

He chuckled again.

"Just leave."

"Oh, I will. Just as soon as I hear you say the word."

"_Please_."

"That's much better, but I'm afraid I can't leave yet." No sooner had he said that, she felt his presence right next to her. He was kneeling next to her bedside. "You need your rest, Gail," he said gently, seemingly genuinely concerned about her.

"What I need is for you to leave me alone." Gail was angry now. She was angry at how he always came at times like this – especially at night – just to annoy her. But this was when she was most vulnerable. This was when she willingly gave herself in. She let herself succumb to the temptations of the night.

"Take this," he coaxed her gently as she felt a tiny round object being placed in the palm of her left hand. "Just swallow it, that's all." She felt a cup being placed in her other hand. She hesitated for a moment until she felt his hand caress her cheek and his gentle voice soothing her. "Go on, it's alright."

Gail let out a soft breath and finally obliged as she brought the cup to her lips and swallowed the pill, enjoying the cool water as it slid down her throat. He then took the cup from her, placing it on the ground for a moment and slowly helped her lay back down against the soft, warm pillow.

"Don't fight it, Gail. Close your eyes and go back to sleep."

He watched as the tension gradually left her body and her muscles began to relax. In a few moments, her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing became soft and steady.

"I'm not gonna let those nightmares haunt you," he whispered softly to her. He slowly bent down and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and stroked her cheek again. "Sleep well, darlin'," he said. He left as quietly as he had come, finally assured that Gail would sleep peacefully through the night.

"Lucas, where do you want me to put these files?" Ben Healy asked his boss the next morning at the sheriff's station.

"Find a place for 'em, Ben," Lucas replied. "I'm sure you can figure out where to store all of the records of Trinity's criminal masterminds."

Ben nodded curtly at Lucas, gathering the pile of files in his arms and went to the back of the station just as Gail walked through the front door.

"Morning, Miss Emory," Lucas greeted cheerfully. "You know, if I can say so myself, you're looking mighty pretty this morning. How may I be of assistance to such a pretty lady?"

"Cut the sweet talk, Lucas," Gail retorted abruptly. "We need to -…"

"Excuse me," a voice cut in. "I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of -… Gail!"

Gail turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. _No… it couldn't be…_

"Derek!" Gail was in shock. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you back in Charleston?"

"I… I came to find you."

She stood frozen in shock for a moment before responding. "Why?" Gail was beginning to put her guard up now. She definitely did not have a good feeling about this sudden intrusion.

"Because I came to be with you. I want to make it up to you, Gail," Derek said. "I want to make things right again… for us." As he spoke, he slowly moved forward and gently attempted to touch Gail's arm, but Gail flinched and moved away as a brief flashback assaulted her.

_Her surroundings were suddenly blurred. She barely saw anything, but the shrill screaming echoed with familiarity inside her ears. All she heard was this screaming followed by a loud thump and then…_

At the shock of the flashback, Gail had backed up straight into Lucas. Her breath was short for a moment and her muscles tense though she seemed to relax momentarily as Lucas steadied her, preventing her from falling back onto him. As soon as she was steady on her feet, she inched quickly away from him, not wanting the comfort of his embrace. At least not for now anyway.

Sensing Gail's fear, Lucas spoke up to the stranger. "And who the hell are you?"

"Derek Goodwin," the other man said, extending his hand out. The two men shook hands quickly as Lucas said, "Sheriff Lucas Buck. Welcome to Trinity."

"Thank you, sir."

"So how do you know Miss Emory?" Lucas asked curiously.

"We met when she was in Charleston. She was my first true love."

"More like first true lust," Gail interjected.

"Sounds like you two have quite a history together," Lucas observed.

"Oh, it's history alright," Gail scoffed.

"Maybe it's best I leave you two alone," Lucas said, slowly backing away.

Derek spoke up quickly. "Oh, no. It's alright. I should be going now. Nice to meet you, Sheriff."

"You too, Derek."

"Goodbye, Gail," he said as he made his way to the door and left. Gail merely looked at him, holding her ground without saying a single word.

As soon as Derek had left, Gail let out a sigh of relief. She started to leave, but felt Lucas's firm grip suddenly on her arm. "You're right," he whispered quietly in her ear. "We do need to talk." Gail gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them and turning around to face Lucas. He stood his ground; she stood her ground. They made eye contact for a long moment before Gail finally obliged and followed Lucas into his private office. Lucas let the door close with a _bang_ behind them.

"You care to fill me in on what that was all about?" Lucas asked, positioning himself in front of Gail who suddenly found herself backed up against his wooden desk.

Gail cast her eyes downward towards the floor and shrugged it off abruptly. "It's nothing."

"Oh, that little tiff out there ain't nothin'. What happened between you two?"

"I already told you. It's nothing." Gail spoke more firmly now, but her eyes still never managed to meet his.

"He's the one from your nightmares, isn't he? The one who's causing you this unbearable pain… something you're not quite ready to let go of or something so suppressed inside of you your mind can't even comprehend it anymore."

Gail finally met Lucas's dark eyes. "Alright, Lucas, you win. Happy now?"

"I'm not if you're not," Lucas's tone suddenly became soft, almost seductive. He reached out and gently started to caress her shoulder, but she shook it off quickly.

"What else do you want from me, Lucas?"

Lucas's tone became soft again. "I just want the truth, Gail. Tell me the truth."

Gail stared into the black abyss of his eyes. There was something that made her stare long and hard into them, like there was an inextinguishable fire burning inside…

"I think you already know." And with that, Gail maneuvered past Lucas, opened the door and left. Lucas only watched her. Sometimes he couldn't figure out the weakness of this beautiful mystery. Other times, it came to him in crystal clear clarity.

A thick blanket of darkness had come to cover Trinity as nighttime fell upon the small town of South Carolina. It was no surprise to anyone anymore, especially the long time residents, when an unusual weirdness permeated through this town. Everyone looked to Sheriff Buck for some kind of guidance, whether out of fear or respected reverence. There was always something in it for him, usually at the expense of others.

On this particular night, as a frigid chill sifted through the air, Gail fumbled through her purse for her keys. After the encounter with Derek earlier, she had been on edge for the rest of the day. She even snapped at Caleb unnecessarily while making a brief stop at the boardinghouse.

Finally finding her keys, she quickly made her way through the door. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, she saw the chain break and she moved back, gasping at what she suddenly saw before her.

"Gail, sweetheart… did you really think you could get rid of me _that_ easily?"

"Derek… what -…?"

Gail's muscles tensed as she instinctively moved backwards away from Derek, only to move slightly sideways and hit the wall behind her.

_Oh, shit._

"You can't run from me anymore, Gail. You know that." It was that same mysterious voice, just like… in fact _exactly _like…

_This is just like my dream!_ Gail was horrified. Her heart beat ferociously inside her chest and her palms began to sweat as they slid against the wall behind her.

"That's what I love about women like you. Easy prey." He moved closer… and closer still as she felt his course skin brush up against her blouse.

"Remember this, baby?" His voice was venomous as he spoke. He pressed his body more firmly into hers and Gail continued to struggle against his unrelenting force.

"You son of a bitch! How could I forget?" Gail spat angrily at him as she felt an unusual roughness followed by a sharp prick suddenly pierce the side of her neck. She drew a sharp breath as another flashback assaulted her. Except that this wasn't a normal flashback…

_Everything was blurred again and she realized it was her own screams she had heard before. Things were going fine until the night Derek came back to their apartment drunk. This became a continuous pattern with him as he suddenly would come home night after night drunk. He'd wake her up in the middle of the night and start screaming and carrying on for no reason. Things had gotten even more out of hand when had physically forced himself on top of her, but she had been able to get away quickly enough before he had been able to do anything. And it was then when she got out of their apartment for good and moved to another part of Charleston until she finally had decided to come to Trinity. She had called the police as well, but they were never able to track him down and she never heard from him again…_

She came out of the flashback in shock and feeling unusually unsteady, dizzy and drowsy. She barely found the strength to stand and seconds before she passed out, she remembered hearing another very familiar voice and feeling oddly comforted by a strong embrace…

"Are you sure she's gonna be okay, Doc?" Lucas asked, concerned about the unconscious woman he had brought into the hospital only moments before.

"Don't know yet," Dr. Billy Peele said as she was rushed into the ER. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth as her breathing came and went in uneven intervals. "Did you see what he did to her?"

"I think he injected her with something. Not sure what though."

"I think it was an overdose of a sedative," Dr. Peele finally said.

"Well, can you fix her up or not? I can't afford to lose her… not now."

"What's at stake in this for you, Lucas?"

"Why do you always think I have a stake in things like this?" Lucas shot back, extremely annoyed.

"Sounds like we're back to square one when we first met," Dr. Peele observed.

Lucas chuckled. "Might be," he grinned. He looked down at Gail. _This ain't the end for us, darlin'…_

_Where am I?_

"_Gail?" a soft female voice spoke up from behind her. A voice that had this odd sense of familiarity as if it had come alive awakened if only by a distant memory._

_A frightened Gail turned around as she saw a beautiful woman come out of a glowing white light. She suddenly felt warm and at peace. And, oddly enough, the very sight of this ethereal woman comforted her as warmth began to flow through her being. _

_Her eyes widened and she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Aunt Judy!" she finally gasped in utter disbelief._

"_Yes, dear. I want you to know how much I love and care about you. Long after my passing I have watched you blossom into an amazing young woman and a gifted reporter."_

_Gail smiled at her aunt as tears began to well in her eyes. _

"_Just like you have been sharing your gift with others, it's my turn to give a gift to you. Come with me, Gail, and you'll be able to see them again. Oh, how happy they will be!"_

"_My parents?" Gail's voice barely rose above a whisper. Now was her chance. Now was her -…_

"_Gail?" An eerily dark voice suddenly came from behind her. She turned around to face him._

"_Lucas…"_

"_Come with me, darlin'. Please. We don't have much time left."_

_Gail swallowed nervously. "Time? Time for what?"_

"_Time for you to go back," he said, moving slowly towards her. "Time for you to be free again…" He stopped once he was directly in front of her as his hand gently caressed her cheek. "Time for you to live," he said in a low, dark whisper. A whisper so soft that Gail could barely hear it. She turned back to look at her Aunt Judy, a look of guilt, fear and desperation deeply embedded into her dark brown eyes. She looked back at Lucas and drew a deep breath. "What do I have to do?" She felt his fingers gently move back and forth across her cheek when suddenly another flashback assaulted her…_

_It was nighttime and she saw herself, Caleb and Lucas back during the time when they were being held hostage in the hospital room by Ben's brother._

"_So we're supposed to view your demeanor as some sort of act of pacifism?" Gail heard herself say._

"_No, ma'am," Lucas replied. "You should view it as an act of seduction."_

_No sooner had he said that, Gail found herself back on the ethereal plane, staring straight into Lucas's dark eyes._

"_Now you know," he said simply._

_Yes, she knew now. She wanted to go back and she finally knew what had to be done. As badly as she wanted to be with her parents again and as much as Lucas tried to seduce her, she was the one who ultimately had to make the final decision. And without another look back at her aunt or a second thought, her lips found eternal rest and comfort as they met Lucas's and she let herself surrender to the infectious passion of his warm embrace…_

"I think she's coming out of it," Dr. Peele was saying as the nurses were trying to resuscitate her. "She's coming back…"

Lucas looked down at Gail, a firm grip on her left hand. _C'mon, darlin'. Come back to me. _

Gail's eyes began to flutter open as her blurry vision swam slowly into focus. She could just barely make out the two dark figures looming over her, but she heard their voices reassure her.

"Gail, stay with me," Dr. Peele urged. "Come on; you're gonna be okay now."

"Lucas…" she managed to whisper.

"I'm right here, darlin'," Lucas replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "You did good. You're gonna be okay."

Gail was taken into a hospital room where she was left to recover. Dr. Peele wanted to keep her until the next morning just to make sure she was okay and that she'd make it through the night.

As night fell, she felt his dark presence in the room once more. Knowing that she had sensed him, he came closer until he was directly next to her bedside. "How are you feelin'?"

"Better," she replied. Silence fell upon the fated lovers until Gail finally spoke up again. "What happened to him?"

"Derek's in jail," Lucas told her. "He won't harm you again, I promise. I made sure that Ben arranged to have him transferred to another jail in another city far from here. You won't have to deal with that bastard again. And if he _dares_ to come back for you, he'll have to go through me first."

Gail didn't question Lucas's response. She just listened carefully, trying her best to take it all in. She couldn't help but feel relieved after having gone through such a hellish ordeal.

"I thought he might have gotten me pregnant," Gail whispered. "After that one night when I finally decided to get out of there, I called the police and then I went to the hospital. I just had to be sure. He never raped me, but he came close so many times. I just had to be sure. I had to find out for myself."

"But you weren't, were you?"

"No," Gail said.

"You're gonna get another chance," he reassured her gently. After Gail had woken up from the coma a few months ago, she had been devastated when she found out that she had lost her child.

"I know I will." Gail found herself in a blissful haze at that moment. She looked up at Lucas who bent down and gave her a sweet kiss with passion so deep and pure.

Finally letting her exhaustion overcome her, she drifted off into a deep slumber feeling warm and protected by the dark presence at her side.

A few nights later, Gail found herself doing her nightly rigmarole as she had done almost every other night since she had been in Trinity. She had just slipped on a pair of silky pajamas when she felt warm breath tingling upon her neck. She knew he was behind her.

"How quickly one forgets," he breathed into her ear. He delicately brushed some hair off of her shoulder as he gently removed the delicate silk from her thin form, exposing her bare skin.

She melted at the delicacy of his touch. As his fingers caressed her skin it felt like she had been swept off her feet, entranced by a magical ecstasy. She reveled in the warmth he gave her as he guided her towards her bed and lifted her carefully onto its soft surface. Once she was safely tucked in underneath the covers, he came to rest beside her.

"Bastard," she growled at him. He only grinned back at her and then captured her lips in an unsuspecting kiss. It was perfect – warm, soft and gentle.

"I'm giving you something you can't resist," he finally whispered back. She couldn't deny that; she wouldn't deny that. He was right. The magnetism of this black night that had brought them together once more would forever be enveloped in the temptations of the night.

**THE END.**


End file.
